Chapter 545

“Open the door, we are constables,” one of them shouted loudly.

Leon’s heart tightened upon hearing this, he knew he could not run, he took a deep breath, stood up, and slowly opened the door.

The constables rushed into the room, when they saw the old man lying in a pool of blood and Leon sitting off to the side, shock washed over their faces.

“What is going on here?” a constable asked.

“It’s him… he killed the old man…” another said, pointing at Leon.

Leon’s body trembled violently, he looked up at the constables, eyes brimming with helplessness and despair, he could no longer escape, he could only accept the judgment of fate.

The constables stepped forward to restrain Leon, the woman hurriedly grabbed his hand, eyes full of concern and reluctance to part.

“Leon… you have to be strong… no matter what happens, I will be right by your side…” she whispered.

A warm current welled up in Leon’s heart, he looked at her with gratitude and trust, he was not alone, someone still cared about him, worried for him.

He gripped her hand tightly, then slowly let go, “Okay, Sister, don’t worry, I will get out.”

Leon nodded heavily.

The constables were stunned, what is this kid muttering to himself about? But they did not ask, someone had reported the crime, which was why they had come.

Leon turned back one last time to look at the gentle woman, his eyes swirled with complex emotions, gratitude, reluctance, but above all, determination.

By the time he was escorted out of the hut, the night was already deep, moonlight filtered through sparse clouds, casting mottled shadows that added a touch of desolation to the tragedy, his footsteps were heavy, every step felt as though he were treading on his own heart.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, on both sides of the road, villagers were already crowded together, among them were the very people who regularly bullied him, every one of them looked at him with fear and disgust.

“Oh my, isn’t that the vile spawn Leon? Talk about instant karma,” a middle-aged woman shouted acrimoniously, eyes full of loathing, as if looking at him would soil her vision.

“I knew he was no good, idling about all day, bringing doom upon his family, having some shady relationship with that old man, now look, he murdered him,” a young man spat viciously, dripping with schadenfreude.

“Such a family misfortune, how did our village produce such trash? An absolute disgrace to our ancestors,” a white-haired elder shook his head, tone thick with disappointment.

Worse still, the bullies who usually tormented Leon were now mocking him without restraint, “Hahaha, look at this kid, always acting so arrogant, and now he’s just a prisoner, serves him right.”

They shoved each other as they laughed, as if Leon’s downfall was their greatest amusement.

Villagers on good terms with the old man were even more agitated, “That old man was so kind, always amiable to us younger folks, how could you bear to do it?”

“Truly psychotic, you wouldn’t spare an old man, was your conscience eaten by dogs?”

The children were infected by the atmosphere too, some hid behind adults in fear, while others curiously peeked out, parroting bad guy and murderer in innocent voices, they had no idea how cruel those words were to Leon.

Amidst this endless barrage, Leon’s face grew pale, his heart felt pierced by tens of thousands of needles, hurting so much he could hardly breathe, but he did not talk back, he silently endured it all, because in this village, rife with prejudice and rumors, any explanation would be futile.

His gaze grew hollow and despairing, as if the world had slammed its doors shut on him, only the occasional barking of dogs from a distance seemed able to penetrate those closed doors.

At the same time, the gentle image of his sister surfaced in his mind, and a sliver of strength rose from the bottom of his heart.

Sister, I will remember your words, Leon chanted silently, he still had his sister, for her sake, he had to survive, if he died, how heartbroken would she be?

His eyes flickered with absolute resolve, a determination to fight back even when facing the injustice of fate.

Escorted to the office, memories of the old man and that fateful night replayed endlessly in Leon’s mind, he tried to sort his thoughts, looking for any chance of extrication, but reality was like icy shackles binding him tightly.

Inside the office, Leon was taken into a dark, gloomy cell, cold stone walls, heavy iron doors, the air was thick with mildew and despair, he sat on the icy stone slabs, leaning against the wall, staring blankly ahead.

He did not know how many days passed, then he was brought before the Magistrate.

“Vile spawn Leon, for brutally murdering an elder…” The Magistrate did not give him a chance to speak, he convicted him directly, sentencing Leon to execution at noon in two days.

Adam was silent, along this journey, he had grown increasingly silent, the things this youth experienced were far more than he had imagined.

…

Inside the cell.

“Was I really wrong?” Leon muttered, his voice echoed through the empty cell, sounding exceptionally desolate.

He recalled the struggle with the old man, the alcohol had made him lose his reason, and that moment of impulse became a stain he could never erase.

Time ticked by in agony, he tried talking to himself, seeking peace and redemption, it was not my fault, I was not wrong, it was all that old man’s doing.

However, whenever it was the dead of night, those bloody scenes and the old man’s resentful gaze would surge in like a tidal wave, keeping him awake, for almost every night, he had not had a single good night’s sleep, his eyes were covered in bloodshot veins, his entire person was incredibly haggard.

Finally, on the night before his execution, Leon’s endurance reached its absolute limit, he saw his sister walk in from outside the cell.

A/N:

Extra chapters

Dragon – 1 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle – 5 Extra Chapters